Units of Inquiry

Who We Are - An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social & spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures; rights and responsibilities, what it means to be human.

Kindergarten Unit One -
Central Idea:
Members of a family have rights and responsibilities that help the family to function.
Key Concepts:
Form, function, responsibility

1st Grade Unit One -
Central idea:
Human connections enrich our lives and require nurturing in order to develop and maintain.
Key Concepts:
Function, connection, responsibility

2nd
Central Idea:
Central Idea: Personal choices have consequences that affect different communities
Key Concepts: Form, change, responsibility

3rd
Central idea:
Shared physical characteristics connect humans and animals.
Key Concepts:
Form, function, connection

4th
Central idea:
Lifestyle choices affect our bodies in different ways.
Key Concepts:
Function, perspective

5th
Central Idea:
Understanding different ways of learning enables people to respond to their own learning needs and to those of others.
Key Concepts:
Function, form, reflection

Spanish
Central Idea:
Identification of our personal, family and cultural characteristics contributes to a better self concept and social interaction
Key Concepts:
Form, function, connection,change

How the World Works - An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.

Kindergarten
Central Idea:
People have been inventing various “gizmos and gadgets” over centuries to solve some kind of problem.
Key concepts:
Form, function, change

1st
Central Idea:
Weather impacts our daily lives.
Key Concepts:
Function, causation, change

2nd
Central Idea:
The world is made up of many different forms of matter and the scientific method can help us understand the changes those forms go through.
Key Concepts:
Form, change, and reflection

3rd
Central Idea:
Watching birds and dreaming of flying inspired people to explore the science of flight.
Key Concepts:
Function, causation, connection

4th
Central Idea:
Companies experience profits and losses on a daily basis.
Key Concepts:
Form, connection, reflection
5th
Central Idea: Industrialization in many countries led to the success of the modern world.
Key Concepts:
Function, Form & Reflection


Spanish
Central Idea:
Weather influences our choices
Key Concepts:
Form, connection, reflection

How We Express Ourselves - An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values, the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

Kindergarten
Central Idea:
Traveling helps us to learn about different places and different people.
Key Concepts:
Form, Connection, Perspective, Responsibility

1st
Central Idea:
People use many forms of visual expression to represent their unique thoughts and feelings.
Key Concepts:
Form, function, connection

2nd
Central Idea:
Looking at a culture through its artifacts reflects the heritage, values, and beliefs of a civilization.
Key Concepts:
Form, causation, connection, and perspective

3rd
Central Idea:
Storytelling helps explain connections with nature
Key Concepts:
function, connection, perspective

4th
Central Idea:
People use many forms of visual expression to to represent their unique thoughts and feelings.
Key Concepts:
Form, connection, reflection

5th
Central Idea:
People value different aspects of culture in a variety of ways.
Key Concepts:
Form, perspective reflection

Spanish
Central Idea:
Languages increase the cultural richness of the communities
Key Concepts:
Causation, function, connection,change

Where We Are in Place and Time - An inquiry into orientations in place and time; homes and journeys; discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals, from local and global perspectives.

Kindergarten
Central Idea: For thousands of years, Native People have lived in regions around the world, adapting to the environment around them with their own values, beliefs, customs and traditions.
Key Concepts:
Form, connection, perspective

1st
Central Idea:
Time zones affect global communication.
Key Concepts:
Form, function, causation

2nd
Central Idea:
Human interaction provokes cultural adaptation.
Key Concepts:
Change, connection, perspective

3rd
Central Idea:
Journeys create change and can lead to new opportunities.
Key Concepts:
Causation, change

4th
Central Idea:
History shapes our views of the present.
Key Concepts:
Change, causation, form, perspective

5th
Central Idea:
Exploration has led to important discoveries
Key Concepts:
Form, change, perspective

Spanish
Central Idea:
Diversity facilitates a better understanding of the world
Key Concepts:
Causation, function, connection,change

How We Organize Ourselves - An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.

Kindergarten
Central Idea:
People have ways to adapt themselves to the urban and rural areas in which they live.
Key Concepts:
Form, function, connection and responsibility

1st:
Central Idea:
People require organizational systems to make journeys.
Key Concepts:
Function, Responsibility, Reflection

2nd
Central Idea:
Organisms interact and adapt with their environments.
Key Concepts:
Connection, responsibility, reflection

3rd
Central Idea:
The development of simple tools arose from the human tendency to strive beyond their bounds.
Key Concepts:
function, causation

4th
Central Idea:
Authority and rules have an impact on people and the environment.
Key Concepts:
Function, Responsibility

5th
Central Idea:
Individuals impact society through their roles as leaders.
Key Concepts:
Causation, connection, responsibility


Spanish
Central Idea:
People belong to urban and rural communities
Key Concepts:
Causation, function, connection,change

Sharing the Planet - An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict

K:
Central Idea:
We can effectively learn about animals when we group them based on certain common characteristics.
Key Concepts:
Form, Function, Perspective

1st
Central Idea:
People depend on bugs for many things.
Key Concepts:
Connection, Perspective, Responsibility

2nd
Central Idea:
Humans have a wider responsibility than just the need to take care of themselves.
Key Concepts:
Function, connection, responsibility

3rd Unit One
Central Idea:
People are consumers and make choices based on many factors
Key Concepts:
form, perspective, responsibility

4th
Central Idea:
It is up to a community of people to respond to the differences within it in positive and effective ways.
Key Concepts:
Connection, Perspective, Responsibility

5th
Central Idea: We must take care to protect our finite resources.
Key Concepts:
Connection, Perspective, Responsibility


Spanish
Central Idea:
Humans, animals, plants share a common place called Earth

Key Concepts:
Causation, function, connection,change